Kyungsoo is finally permitted to go around the hospital in a wheelchair along with his friends. He is relieved and happy to finally get out of the ward for the first time since he was brought to the hospital but is shocked at the view he is greeted with when they make it into the cafeteria. People snap pictures and take videos, some holding up banners and others getting too close. Security is on the crowd in a flash, causing it to disperse as the 'fans' release groans of disappointment and rage. Once all is under control, everybody can relax again as they eat lunch together. Sehun pulls two large tables together while Chanyeol and Baekhyun get a few more seats.
"How have you been doing? Seungsoo said that you're looking much better than when we first saw you." Junmyeon speaks softly, eating a grape.
"I-I'm doing better. Progress is...slow, but hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to get these casts off." Kyungsoo looks down, wiggling the fingers of his casted right arm. Chanyeol drew a small green Yoda in sharpie and Baekhyun drew a cartoon piece of bacon with a face.
"I know that we should maybe hold off on this, but-" Yixing begins. Kyungsoo nods his head, cutting the older off.
"You want to know what happened. Don't you? I guess I would too if something like this happened to you guys." He takes a deep breath in, mentally preparing himself. The others squeeze his arms to comfort him, Jongin rubbing his nearly bald head.
"I remember waking up strapped to a chair. I instantly freaked out. I had no idea what had happened and I honestly thought that the whole thing was a nightmare and I had just woken up. I got beaten most days. Almost every day. I was always hungry, tired, thirsty. The worst part for a few hours was actually the dark. Or that was until Iljung came into the room-"
"Iljung?! Lee Iljung?! What the fuck?! They said on the news that it was someone else!" Sehun stands up, his chair scraping back as he slams his hand down onto the table in rage. Kyungsoo jumps, breathing becoming shallow and his hands tremble as he drops his sandwich. Sehun quickly apologises and gently hugs his tiny friend, guilt pooling into his eyes.
"How could he do this? Why did he do this to you?" Sehun cries while holding onto his friend almost for dear life, never wanting to be separated from him again. Kyungsoo answers his question once he calms down from his small panic attack.
"H-he said that he was supposed to be the eighth member of EXO. Once I was revealed publicly, he was still in prison but he received the news that we debuted. He began planning while in prison. Once he was released on parole, that was when he-he came after me."
"H-how do you know all of this?" Yixing asks cautiously, rubbing his younger friend's back.
"Because he told me! He s-said that since I took his life, he would s-stop at nothing to t-take mine. He's still out there. They got the wrong person. He's still out there." He buries his face into Jongdae's chest who is hugging him while kneeling down in front of the wheelchair.
A few more weeks go by and Kyungsoo has been home for most of that time seeing as he was deemed ready to be discharged from the hospital. He has been living with his parents in Seoul for the past two weeks, finally being able to properly spend time with his family. He is still in a wheelchair seeing as his arm and leg are both still in casts therefore he cannot use crutches just yet. His hair has grown back fully, but is less than an inch in length. He had to go to the barber so that they could shave it properly- due to the hair falling out at different times, it all grew in at different lengths. Thanks to his friends and family, he isn't quite as gaunt and skeletal as what he was but still has a while to go until he even remotely looks like his old self.
It is a month after he was found and a week after he has moved back in with his band mates that the boys begin to notice odd things about their friend that weren't there before. Like how Kyungsoo jumps whenever somebody touches him, if somebody abruptly enters the room and if one of the dogs (including his own) barks because their manager is at the door. Kyungsoo has had enough. He is tired of feeling extreme fatigue because he doesn't want to go to sleep in fear of seeing him. He is tired of his friends constantly checking up on him (as nice as it is). And he is tired of feeling like he will never be able to move on and overcome these fears.
Some nights are better and some are worse. On the good nights, he will wake up panting and clutching at his duvets, sometimes reaching above his head to feel for Chanyeol's bunk just to make sure he is really home. On bad nights he wakes up frozen in place; pupils wild and blown with fear as a smirking Iljung strides towards him with a glinting metallic weapon in his hand. Sometimes he wakes up screaming until his throat feels as if it could tear, salty tears streaming from his eyes as he curls into the foetal position to protect himself from whoever is out to get him.
After three months of rest, he gets a letter from SM stating that he has to go back to work otherwise they will terminate his contract. He sighs, scratching his head as he sips his coffee. Nobody is in the dorm due to the fact that they are back at dance practice and vocal lessons. After putting his mug back down onto the kitchen table, he rests his chin on his palm, thinking about whether or not he should just quit being an idol altogether. He either has to sacrifice his job for his mental health, or sacrifice his mental health for his job. The decision isn't as easy as he would like. If he quits, he would have to deal with the fact that he doesn't have very many high school qualifications due to the fact that he gave up his childhood to be in this industry. He gave years of his life to be here now. On the other hand, if he is to continue being an idol, he would have to deal with the sasaengs, having no privacy, brutal schedules and not to mention the toll on his mentality? It's a tough choice to make. He decides that he can't be selfish, and so calls up the company to give his final decision.
Hi guys! I am so so so sorry that I haven't updated in more than a month. I had exams and I studied really hard for them and they've actually gone really well! I hope that you all understand but I am back now and I am ready to write again 😊 I love you, my peanut butter cookies ❤️🍪
Date: Thursday, 31st January 2019
Word Count: 1228
أنت تقرأ
Aftermath | D.O. + EXO
قصص الهواةSequel to Stalker || D.O. + EXO. Do Kyungsoo has finally been found, but due to the torment that he suffered he needs to rely on his friends to get him back on his feet. Will he fall, or will the others catch him?
